Rotary Informer

Petoskey Rotary Noon Club NEWSLETTER
February 19, 2025
103 Years of Service Above Self

Welcome to the Rotary Club of Petoskey. Past President Jeff Wynder officiated the meeting.

If you did not get the chance to attend, you can read about it in this newsletter.

Pledge/Anthem:  Howard Richards led us in America the Beautiful

4-Way Test:  Dave Thomas

Invocation:  Drew Smith

Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care. Theodore Roosevelt

Calendar Winners:  Read off by Dr. Jeff Leslie

Calendar Winners February 19, 2025

Visiting Rotarians:  Sarah George & Brian Wagner, Sunrise Rotary; Patricia Wimmer, Rochester, Minnesota 

Guests:   Daniel Dewindt, Adam Damm, Petoskey Robotics/Speaker, Students not listed because of confidentiality

Life Events:  Terry Newton asked the club to keep Bill Collins in your thoughts and prayers. He was recently hospitalized in Florida for pneumonia and was placed on antibiotics which took away his hearing. He went to see his primary care physician and was told it could be 4-6 weeks. He is really sad about not being able to speak at Roger Winslow’s service this Saturday.

Roger Winslow:  

It is with great sadness that we mourn the passing of Roger Winslow. Roger joined the Rotary Club of Petoskey July 2000 though he had been a member of Rotary in California where he resided prior to moving to Michigan. He was very well loved in our club and widely respected in our community. Here is a link for his obituary:
https://www.stonefuneralhomeinc.com/obituary/Roger-Winslow#tributewall Please keep his wife Kay in your thoughts and prayers as well as the rest of his family.  

Birthdays:

Terry Newton will not be here for his birthday and, as secretary, is taking to the bulletin to announce it early. Gifts over $100.00 can be sent personally to………..

Anniversaries:

Reg Smith – 16 Years

Liz Ahrens – 18 Years

Bill Collins – 18 Years

Terry Newton – 27 Years; Again, taking liberties because the Newton’s will not be here when it is his anniversary

Bill Graham – 41 Years

Singing/Song:  Howard Richards led us in Happy Birthday and Smile

ANNOUNCEMENTS

PRCCI Grant Cycle:  Liz Ahrens announced that the club’s grant cycle is now open, with applications being accepted through the Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation. The foundation is managing the application process, and the deadline to apply is March 1, 2025. grants@phsacf.org

Rotary Lunch Charge:  Recently the Club announced an increased fee for Rotary lunches. However, that fee neglected to include sales tax. The correct fee for 2025 is $18.50 per lunch per week.

Spaghetti Dinner:  Karen Ragland-Spaghetti Dinner is April 10 at the High School. Goal is $15,000. Every member is responsible for at least 10 tickets. Please try to sell or have others use them so we have a great evening. Tickets and signup will be out next week.

Upcoming Rotary Happy Hours:  All Rotarians are invited to gather for drinks and fellowship at two upcoming happy hours: one on Friday, February 28 from 5:00 - 6:00 PM at Gabriel Farms, and another on Wednesday, March 26 from 5:00 - 6:00 PM at Elder Piper. See you there!

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Joe Blachy was born in Berlin in 1941. His father was a film director and his mother was a Red Cross Nurse. His father was in an American Prison Camp during the war. He had a younger brother and an older brother. They moved out of Berlin and at the end of the war they spent 8 weeks walking back to Berlin. German money was no good so they ended up sleeping in barns. When they got back to Berlin, their neighborhood was 75% destroyed. After the war they moved and lived in a Quonset hut with no wa-ter, heat, electricity or bathroom. They then moved to Hamburg and Joe emigrated to the U.S. by himself at age 15. He stayed with a family friend on a farm in Wisconsin. He graduated from high school in 1959. He enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater but soon went to Chicago and worked for Sears. He went back to college for marketing and continued working at Sears. He met Bud Tallberg and Bud thought he should move to Petoskey. Joe bought Puff’s in Petoskey and ran it for several years until he sold it. He then became a realtor more than 25 years ago. He loves the entrepreneurial spirit of Americans and is proud to be part of Rotary. He believes Rotary makes a difference around the world. 

PROGRAM:  Adam Damm, Petoskey Robotics

Adam Damm from Petoskey Robotics brought a robot and 6 students to talk about the program. This is a student led organization for students K-12. The high school team is 30 students and is called the Petoskey Paladins. They have 24 students in the middle school program and 80 in the elementary school program. The Paladins won first place in 2024 in the regional competition in Lake City. They do community outreach and advocate for STEM. The benefits include leadership abilities, technical and interpersonal skills, community involvement and they are eligible for scholarships. They participate in competitions including Goonettes Invitational (all girls), Fall Kettering Competition and FIRST Robotics Challenges. Petoskey Robotics boasts a 100% high school graduation rate with 90% of members going on to pursue higher education. They can always use more mentors, volunteers, donations, and sponsors. They left information about volunteering or sponsoring on the tables. If you
have any questions or would like to volunteer, please email Tom Ochs at ochs.tf.t@northmen.org.

Next Week’s Program:  Georgia Abbott, STRIVE